DEVELOPING TOURISM DESTINATIONS IN CONSERVATION AREA OF DATARAN LINDU AT SIGI REGENCY OF CENTRAL SULAWESI

This research was aimed at describingthe potency of biological resources, natural resourcesand the uniqueness of exotic landscape along with the customary of local people in Dataran Lindu region. Dataran Lindu has a lake known as Lindu Lake. The lake was only used for fishing and farming freshwater fish, butnot for tourism purpose. Considering that Lindu lake was surrounded by beautiful protected forest, rocky hills and mountains with typical wildlife living in them, has generated an idea to transform Dataran Lindu into a tourismattraction by developing ecotourism of lake, wildlife, forest, as well as rivers in the region of Dataran Lindu. As the effort to propose the idea, this research was carried out by utilizing a qualitative method in which the data were collected by using interview and observation, and documentation.The data resulted in the identification of types ecotourism potency such as biodiversity, protected forests, national parks, lake, rivers, beautiful hills and mountains for hiking, and interesting local culture of the local people.All these potencies can be developed into tourists attractions when the regional goverments of Sigi regency makes effort to support the idea by implementing the recommendations as specified in this research implications such as issuing policy on ecotourism development, developing the infrastructures and tourism facilities, involving local people and NGOs in actualizing ecotourism development program, establishing cooperations among regional governments on tourism business.